Las Madres

“Esmeralda Santiago has won my heart over and over again with her newest title “Las Madres”. I could not put it down. A sweeping saga of beautiful characters, spanning generations and locations, with intertwined fates of families bound together by hardships and struggle. 

Santiago has written about environmental disasters and pain, hurricanes and loss, in the most heart wrenching, physically aching way. She brings us beautiful words, in beautiful languages, stories of a life lived in words and emotions and memories. 

I can feel the warm breezes of Puerto Rico, hear the winds and rain pummeling the walls, and see the Puerto Rican flags flying on fire escapes all over the Bronx. 

Esmeralda also happens to live in Westchester but has published numerous titles such as “When I Was Puerto Rican”, “Almost a Woman”, “Conquistadora”, “The Turkish Lover” and “America’s Dream”. — Gretchen Menzies, owner of Katonah Reading Room in Katonah, NY